The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Dine and drink like Mad Men (and women)

Patricia Conte has a background in marketing communications and works as an independent writer. In 2010, she was given the opportunity to combine her love of writing and food when she started as a contributing writer for the Food channel...

Delight in these authentic dishes!

Pull on your stockings, grab your gloves and raise your martini glass because season five of Mad Men premieres Sunday! Interested in eating and drinking like an ad man or woman to celebrate? Get your hands on a copy of The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook -- it’ll take you back in time to the way things really were.

Advertising done right

Admit it. You’ve either customized an avatar, tried a red lipstick or maybe bought a shift-style dress from Banana Republic’s Mad Men line just to get the tiniest feel of what it might have been like to be part of the Mad Men way of life. Divine, right?

The sizzling ‘60s

We’re over the moon about so many things that are retro and Mad Men has had us loving the feel of Madison Avenue in the 1960s. The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook is a great guide to take your taste buds back in time with authentic cocktails, meals and desserts.

Thanks to loads of research, testing and attention to detail, The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook, by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin (published by Smart Pop), will pull you straight into the scenes of the AMC Emmy Award-winning show’s dining and drinking delights.

History repeats

The cookbook’s authors and their team got it right. They scoured cookbooks from the 1950s and 1960s, consulted with real-world restaurants and bars featured in the show, and found historical information that helped explain why certain foods and drinks were so popular at the time.

Not only historically accurate, but each recipe in the cookbook (there are more than 70), whether a cocktail recipe or an appetizer recipe, is prefaced with details about the specific scene from the show when it was introduced.

Time for a cocktail and a little dinner

From the "21" Club Bloody Mary (seen on the show in restaurants, conference rooms and Don Draper’s house -- Mad Men loves this drink) to Deviled Eggs and Chicken Kiev, you’ll have what you need to host a throwback cocktail party, a special birthday bash that’ll make your mom feel young again or just a homemade dinner for that hardworking ad man of your own… or something like that!

Try some of the recipes straight from the pages of The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook!

Don’s Old Fashioned cocktail recipe

Photo courtesy of Nina Gallant

Yields: 1

Ingredients:

1 orange slice

1 maraschino cherry

1 teaspoon sugar

A few drops Angostura bitters

Splash of soda water to muddle ingredients

2-1/2 ounces rye or bourbon

Directions:

In a mixing glass, muddle orange slice, cherry, sugar, bitters and a little soda water. Push around and break up cherry and orange until flavor is released.

Add soda water so cherry is wet and sugar is melted.

Add rye or bourbon and serve over rocks, if desired.

"21" Club Bloody Mary recipe

Photo courtesy "21" Club

Yields: 1

Ingredients:

For the Bloody Mary mix:

24 ounces tomato juice

1-1/4 ounces Worcestershire sauce

4-5 drops Tabasco sauce

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon olive brine

For the drink:

2 ounces vodka

Lime wedge

1/2 teaspoon horseradish (optional)

Directions:

Make the Bloody Mary mix. Mix the tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive brine in a large container. Taste and adjust as needed.

Pour the vodka over rocks in a highball glass. Fill the glass with Bloody Mary mix.

Stir and garnish with a lime wedge. Add horseradish, if desired.

Sardi’s Hearts of Palm Salad recipe

Photo courtesy of Nina Gallant

Yields: 2

Ingredients:

Salad:

6 lettuce leaves

6 whole pieces canned hearts of palm, drained (about 21 ounces)

6 thin slices pimiento

6 sprigs watercress

4 tablespoons Vinaigrette Dressing

Vinaigrette Dressing:

1/2 dill pickle, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon capers, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped pimiento

1 teaspoon finely chopped hard-boiled egg white

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

Directions:

Place the finely chopped ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and add olive oil. Stir thoroughly while adding vinegar. Keep in refrigerator. Always stir before using.

Place lettuce flat on dish. Arrange hearts of palm in a row. Arrange pimiento slices across lettuce and decorate at side with watercress.

Classic Shrimp Cocktail recipe

Photo courtesy of 30Aeats.com

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the shrimp:

36 medium-large shrimp

1 thick slice lemon

3 sprigs parsley

1 peeled onion

3-4 peppercorns

1 teaspoon salt

For the cocktail sauce:

3/4 cup chili sauce

2-3 tablespoons horseradish

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon grated onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

A few drops Tabasco sauce

Finely chopped celery, optional

Lettuce, for serving, optional

Directions:

Prepare the shrimp: Shrimp may be shelled and cleaned before or after cooking, by peeling off the shell, rinsing off any grit and removing the black vein down the back. Leave shrimp tails intact.

Pour enough water to cover the shrimp in a saucepan. Add lemon, parsley, onion, peppercorns and salt. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. Simmer for three to five minutes, depending on the size, until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Do not overcook. Drain and chill shrimp until ready to serve.

For the cocktail sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix and refrigerate.